BMO Financial Group (TSX:BMO) is continuing to expand its lineup of exchange-traded funds with the launch of eight new funds on Wednesday.

The bank, which broke into the ETF market last year, will now have a total of 30 ETFs.

The new ETFs will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday. They include three fixed income funds and five sector-specific equity ETFs, and will complement BMO’s current line-up of funds, the firm said.

The new ETFs include:

– BMO Equal Weight REITs Index ETF (ZRE)
– BMO Equal Weight US Banks Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZUB)
– BMO Equal Weight US Health Care Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZUH)
– BMO Junior Oil Index ETF (ZJO)
– BMO Junior Gas Index ETF (ZJN)
– BMO Long Federal Bond Index ETF (ZFL)
– BMO Real Return Bond Index ETF (ZRR)
– BMO Emerging Markets Bond Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZEF)

“We are very excited about the most recent expansion in our ETF offering which reflects our ongoing commitment to providing Canadian investors greater access to global markets,” said Rajiv Silgardo, CEO of BMO Asset Management Inc., which manages and administers all of BMO’s ETFs. “These latest additions further diversify our offering in a number of areas, including the health care and oil and gas sectors, allowing Canadian investors the opportunity to capitalize on the ongoing growth in key industries.”

The three new currency-hedged ETFs provide investors in Canada with access to growth in other countries while mitigating the risk of losses based on foreign exchange volatility. BMO noted that currency volatility has increased significantly over the past year, and expects that it may remain elevated in the coming years.

“For those in need of cost-efficient hedging solutions, we have added to our currency-hedged ETFs to allow investors to access the growth and diversity of non-Canadian markets without the added volatility often attributed to currency,” said Silgardo.

IE